Device for propelling rowboats and canoes



A. E. BEEBE DEVICE FOR PROPELLING ROWBOATS AND CANOES Filed Aug. 14',1924' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 29, 1925. 1,555,091

A. E. BEEBE DEVICE FOR PROFELLING ROWBOATS' AND GANOES 7 Filed Aug. 14,1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k/w zzvrar? A2227? 2* 5. 35:54-

Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES ALBERT E. BEEIBE, O'F CATHAY, NORTH DAKOTA.

DEVICE FOR PROPELLING ROWIBOATS AND CANOES.

Application filed August 14, 1924. Serial No. 731,979.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. BEEBE, citizen of the United States,residing at Cathay, in the county of Wells and State of North Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forPropelling Rowboats and Canoes; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to a boat propelling device and particularly tosuch a device for rowboats, canoes and similar craft.

It is an object of this invention to provide a boat propelling meansadapted to be secured to the boat gunwale and'comprising a leverextending outwardly having water engaging means at its outer end, and alever extending inwardly adapted to be manipulated by the operator, saidlevers having inter-engaging means whereby when one is swung in onedirection the other will be swung in the opposite direction.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device asabove set'forth,

together with means for locking said levers in longitudinal alinement sothat they can be used as one lever or car.

It is more specifically an object of the;

invention to provide such a device comprising a member adapted to besecured to the" boat side or gunwale having swiveled thereon a bracketin which the above mentioned levers are pivotally carried, together withmeans for locking said bracket against swinging movement in the plane ofsaid levers, or for holding said levers locked in longitudinal alinementin said bracket, said levers preferably provided at their adjacent endswith meshing gear segments.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout the different views, and in which Fig. 1 is a planview of the device; parts thereof being shown in difi'erent positionswith dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a View in front elevation of the device as seen in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device arranged in a certain position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the device taken on line 6-6 of Fig.7; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 77 of Fig. 6, all of thesections being taken as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the side or gunwale of the boat, canoe orother similar craft, is indicated as 1. To this gunwale is secured abracket 2, which extends transversely of and embraces said gunwale andis held thereon by any suitable means such as the clamping thumbscrew 3threaded into one side of said bracket and engaging the gunwale. Bracket2, at its upper outer corner, is provided with a pair of ears betweenwhich is pivoted on a horizontally extending pivot member, a shoulderedpin 4, illustrated as having a rounded upper end and an apertureextending therethrough adjacent said end. A bracket 5 is providedcomprising spaced open work plates 6 connected together by spaced bdltsor rivets 7, said plates being substantially diamondshaped in plan, withrounded corners and having a central bar extending transversely thereof.At the outer side of said plates a bushing 8 extends therebetween havingheaded flanges atits outer sides and a gear segment 9 has a central hub,through which bushing 8 extends, said segment being thus oscillatablymounted on said bushing. The segment 9 has its toothed portion directedinwardly, and is also provided with an outwardly extending arm 10 ofsubstantially fiat rectangular shape. The arm 10 is embraced by theforked end of a lever 11, which extends outward therefrom and isillustrated as made by a pair of flat bars riveted together. At theirouter ends, the bars of member 11 diverge and then extend in oppositealined directions andare bolted or riveted to the inner end of arectangular frame member 12, also formed of. a flat bar. Frame member 12has comparatively short flat bars 13 bolted or riveted at each endextending outwardly in converging relation. The ends of the members 13at each end of the frame 12 are connected together by rod 14 extendingtherebetween and longitudinally of the frame 12. Another rod or shaft14?, shown as a headed and nutted bolt, extends longitudinally andcentrally wardly, to which is ,bolted'or' riveted the outer end of ahandle lever 18, having its inner end formed as an ordinary oar handle.The segment 17 is provided with a central aperture adjacent its toothedportion to aline with holes 23 formed through plates 6, which apertureand holes are adapted to receive a headed pin 19. Pin 19 has an eyeletat its headed or outer end connected by flexible member shown as a chain20, to a smaller cotter pin 21 adapted to be inserted through theaperture in pin 4. The bracket 5 has lugs in the outer sides of theplate 6 which'are pierced by apertures22 adapted to aline with a hole251 formed in the top of lateral extension of member 4, which aperturesand hole are also adapted to receive the pin 19 under certainconditions.

The device is adapted to be usedin different ways. If the operatorwishes to face in the direction in which the boat is advancing,

the pin 19 will be inserted through aperture 22 and into the hole 24, asshown'in Fig.1. The bracket 5 will then be held in stationary positionin the plane of levers 11 and 18 and relative to themember 4. If'lever18 now swung or oscillated as indicated by the a r row in Fig. 1, gearsegment 17 will operate gear segment 9 and lever 11 will be moved in theopposite direction, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. As the lever 11moves through the water at its outer end with the rod 14 advancing, theplates 15 are 001- lapsed as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, said plates movinginto substantially a common plane, being disposed at each side of rod14. When the lever 11 swings in the opposite direction with the outer orfree ends of plates 15 advancing said plates are swung apart by theresistance of the water into the position as shown in Fig. 4, saidplates being held in.

such divergent position by the sides of frame member 12. As the member11 is moved with the plates 15 in the latter position the boat ispropelled, said lever 11 and plate 15 acting as an oar. Vith the partsoperated as shown in Fig. 1 therefore, the boat is propelled with theoperator facing in the direction in which the boat is moving, asindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to propel the boat with the operator facing in thedirection opposite to that in which the boat moves, the pin 19 iswithdrawn, from the bracket 5 and member 4, bracket 5 is inverted andthe pin 19 then placed through the holes 28 and plates 6 and the holein. the gear segment 17 \Vhen this is done, bracket 5 will be free toswing about the pin 4 and the segment 17 and lever 18 will be preventedfrom movement relative to bracket 5. The levers 18 and 11 are thenlooked together in longitudinal alinement and will form one lever or oarmovable about pin 4. When the oar is .thuspositioned and moved by thearrows in Fig.8, the boat will be propelled as indicated by the centralarrows in said figure, the plates 15 operating as-already (described.From the above descriptiolnfit'i's seen that applicant has provided asimple :and efficient boat propelling means which can be easily andquickly arranged to propel "the boat either in the direction in whichthe operator is facing or in the opposite direction. The devicecomprises few parts and can readily be attached to or detached from theboat. The plates 15 preferably are made of metal and the whole structureis quite light and strong. The device has been demonstrated in actualpractice and found to bevery'successful and efficient'. a

It will be of course understood that various changes may be made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of applicants invention, which, generallystated, consists ina device such as shown its outer end, said leverhaving a gear segv ment'projecting inwardly from said pin, a hand leverpivoted insaid bracket and having a gear segment thereon meshing withsaid gear segment and means for holding said bracket in stationaryposition relative to said pin.

2. A boat propelling device having in combination a clamping bracketadapted to be secured to the side of a boat, a pin member swiveled tosaid bracket at its .upper outer side, a bracket comprising spacedplates pivotally supported on said pin member, a lever carried by saidbracket also pivoted about said pin and extending outwardly therefrom,water engaging means at the outer end of said lever, said lever having agear segment at its inner-end disposed between the plates of saidbracket, a hand lever pivoted to said bracket, and having a gear segmentat its outer end disposed between the plates of said bracket and meshingwith said first mentioned gear segment, said bracket and pin memberhaving holes adapted to be alined and a pin adapted to be disposed insaid holes to hold said bracket stationary relative to said pin member.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, said bracket having other holestherein and said last mentioned gear segment having an aperture adaptedto be alined with said latter holes, whereby said last mentioned pin canbe disposed in said last mentioned holes and aperture to lock saidsegments against movements relative to said bracket.

4:. A device for propelling a boat comprising a lever pivoted to theside of said boat, an open-work frame at the outer end of said lever, arod extending centrally across said frame, and substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of said lever, plates pivoted to said rod anddisposed at one side of said rod and frame, whereby said plates mayswing together in substantially one plane or swing apart against thesides of said frame as stops.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, a rod supported by said framecentrally and at one side of the plane thereof with which said platescontact when swung together, the outer free edge portions of said platesextending outwardly from each other.

6. The structure set forth in claim 4 and a member rigidly supported atsaid side of said frame against Whiehsaid plates contact when they swingtogether.

7. A device for propelling a boat comprising a lever pivoted to the sideof said boat, an open-work frame at the outer end of said lever, platespivoted to said frame at adjacent edges along. an axis extendinglongitudinally of said lever, said plates be ing free at their oppositeedges whereby they may swing together or away from each other.

8. A device for propelling a boat comprising a lever pivoted to the sideof said boat and extending outwardly therefrom, a rod at the outer endof said lever extending substantially parallel thereto, plates pivotedto said rod and disposed at one side of the same and said lever, rigidstops for said plates spaced outwardly of said lever above and below thesame, and a rigid stop for said plates spaced in front of said rod andlever.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT E. BEEBE.

